PRESIDENT’S COMMITTEE ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES (PCAH) AND SUNDANCE INSTITUTE TO PRESENT 10 AWARD-WINNING FILMS AT 10 LOCATIONS ON NATIONAL MALL

Winter’s Bone, Last Train Home, La Mission, Son of Babylon, Freedom Riders, A Small Act, Amreeka, Afghan Star, Boy, and Udaan to Be Screened One Night Only May 12 — in Partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and
the Institute of Museum and Library Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 12, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the nonprofit Sundance Institute will showcase five U.S. and five international award-winning independent films as part of its Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue initiative on The National Mall. Film Forward pairs a U.S. and international filmmaker and sends them all over the world, using their films to engage local, underserved and youth audiences in dialogue. By doing so, Film Forward promotes mutual understanding and respect for other cultures and traditions that is at the heart of cultural exchange. All ten filmmakers will be in Washington DC to speak with audiences following their films, which will be presented simultaneously in this showcase event in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex. General admission price for most screenings is $10.00; two of the screenings will be free to the public.
Film Forward, a joint venture of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) and Sundance Institute, in partnership with USA federal cultural partners the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), connects contemporary U.S. and international films and filmmakers with global audiences. To date, Film Forward has presented documentary and narrative films to diverse audiences across the globe from university students and aspiring filmmakers in Tunisia, to rural village populations in Turkey and factory workers in China, along with visits planned to underserved U.S. audiences in Tennessee, Michigan and New York.

“Midway through the Film Forward schedule we are excited to bring the filmmakers to D.C. to share their experiences screening these films through U.S. Embassies and local partnerships over the last six months,” said Rachel Goslins, Executive Director, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. “Here in the U.S. and abroad, this program is creating powerful dialogue and engagement that helps people from other places better understand America, and helps us better understand the world in which we live.”

“Sundance Institute has long believed that stories told on film have a unique ability to inspire discussions, to reflect the diversity of our world, and often to show common themes that unite us all,” said Keri Putnam, Sundance Institute Executive Director. “We are truly honored to collaborate with our partners to reach new audiences and generate cross-cultural dialogue around the work of some of today’s top independent filmmakers.”

Freedom Riders/USA (Director: Stanley Nelson)-Veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson’s inspirational documentary is the first feature-length film about the courageous band of civil-rights activists known as the Freedom Riders. Gaining impressive access to influential figures on both sides of the issue, Nelson chronicles a chapter of American history that stands as an astonishing testament to the accomplishment of youth and what can result from the incredible combination of personal conviction and the courage to organize against all odds.
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: The National Archives, McGowan Theater, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Admission: FREE ADMISSION

BOY/New Zealand (Director and screenwriter: Taika Waititi)-When his father returns home after many years away, 11-year-old Boy and his little brother Rocky must reconcile reality with the fantasy dad they created in their imagination. Cast: Taika Waititi, James Rolleston, Te Aho Eketone
Time: 6:15 p.m.
Location: National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater, 4th St. and Independence Ave. SW
Admission price: $10.00

A Small Act/USA (Director: Jennifer Arnold)-A young Kenyan’s life changes dramatically when his education is sponsored by a Swedish stranger. Years later, he founds his own scholarship program to replicate the kindness he once received.
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Ring Auditorium, Independence Ave. and 7th St. SW
Admission price: $10.00

Afghan Star/Afghanistan/UK (Director: Havana Marking)-After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, Pop Idol has come to television in Afghanistan: millions are watching and voting for their favorite singer. This film follows the dramatic stories of four contestants as they risk their lives to sing.
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Smithsonian Institution S. Dillon Ripley Center Lecture Hall, 1100 Jefferson Drive
Admission price $10.00

The Film Forward event in Washington D.C. will also give participating directors an opportunity to visit the U.S. Department of State to report on their recent trips and learn more about U.S. cultural programs overseas. The Sundance Institute delegation will include Executive Director of Sundance Institute Kerri Putnam along with leadership and Program Directors. Committee members the PCAH are expected, including Kerry Washington, Forest Whitaker and Alfre Woodard among others. The heads of the partner agencies (NEA, NEH, IMLS) will also attend along with Congressional Representatives. Film Forward directors in attendance will include: Debra Granik (Winters Bone), Jennifer Arnold (A Small Act), Cherien Dabis (Amreeka), Stanley Nelson (Freedom Riders), Peter Bratt (La Mission), Martin Herring (Executive Producer, Afghan Star), Taika Waititi (Boy), Mohamad Al-Daradji (Son of Babylon), Vikramaditya Motwane (Udaan) and Lixin Fan (Last Train Home).

The Film Forward films represent fresh explorations of universal themes. Boy, La Mission, Udaan and Winter’s Bone navigate the transition to adulthood and re-define family in broadly different circumstances; Amreeka and Last Train Home depict contemporary challenges of immigration and internal migration for those seeking work and a better life; Afghan Star explores the story of youthful dreams and the clash of global pop culture in a traditional Muslim society; Son of Babylon focuses on the enduring nature of family love in a society decimated by war. Finally, exploring the impact of individual and collective action are: A Small Act which shows the impact of one individual’s choice to give, within a global context, and Freedom Riders depicts the real-life drama of a small group of courageous youth who risked everything 50 years ago, and transformed American life.

The National Mall
The Mall is the heart of the Nation’s Capital and of the entire United States of America. Here, the nation celebrates, honors, and demonstrates its commitment to democracy. www.nationalmall.org/
U.S.A. Arts Organizations
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) is an advisory Committee to the White House on cultural policy. It bridges the interests of American federal agencies and the private sector, supports special projects that increase participation and excellence in the arts and humanities, and helps incorporate these disciplines into White House objectives. First Lady Michelle Obama is the Honorary Chairman of the PCAH.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) serves and strengthens our Republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The NEH is the nation’s leading supporter of research education, preservation and public programs in the humanities.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent federal grant making agency dedicated to creating strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The IMLS works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development.

Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. www.sundance.org

Sundance Institute greatly appreciates the support of Hilton Worldwide for their hospitality and contribution of hotel rooms for the Film Forward tour and filmmaker Gala.

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“You know, I was never a critic. I never considered myself as a film critic. I started doing short films, writing screenplays and then for awhile, for a few years I wrote some film theory, including some film criticism because I had to, but I was never… I never had the desire to be a film critic. I never envisioned myself as a film critic, but I did that at a period of my life when I thought I kind of needed to understand things about cinema, understand things about film theory, understand the world map of cinema, and writing about movies gave me that, and also the opportunity to meet filmmakers I admired.

“To me, it was the best possible film school. The way it changed my perspective I suppose is that I believe in this connection between theory and practice. I think that you also make movies with ideas and you need to have ideas about filmmaking to achieve whatever you’re trying to achieve through your movies, but then I started making features in 1986 — a while ago — and I left all that behind.

“For the last three decades I’ve been making movies, I’ve been living, I’ve been observing the world. You become a different person, so basically my perspective on the world in general is very different and I hope that with every movie I make a step forward. I kind of hope I’m a better person, and hopefully a better filmmaker and hopefully try to… It’s very hard for me to go back to a different time when I would have different values in my relationship to filmmaking. I had a stiffer notion of cinema.”
~ Olivier Assayas

A Spirited Exchange

“In some ways Christopher Nolan has become our Stanley Kubrick,” reads the first sentence of David Bordwell’s latest blog post–none of which I want or intend to read after that desperate opening sentence. If he’d written “my” or “some people’s” instead of “our”, I might have read further. Instead, I can only surmise that in some ways David Bordwell may have become our Lars von Trier.”
~ Jonathan Rosenbaum On Facebook

“Jonathan has written a despicable thing in comparing me to Trump. He’s free to read or not read what I write, and even to judge arguments without reading them. It’s not what you’d expect from a sensible critic, but it’s what Jonathan has chosen to do, for reasons of a private nature he has confided to me in an email What I request from him is an apology for comparing my ideas to Trump’s.”
~ David Bordwell Replies

“Yes, I do apologize, sincerely, for such a ridiculous and quite unwarranted comparison. The private nature of my grievance with David probably fueled my post, but it didn’t dictate it, even though I’m willing to concede that I overreacted. Part of what spurred me to post something in the first place is actually related to a positive development in David’s work–an improvement in his prose style ever since he wrote (and wrote very well) about such elegant prose stylists as James Agee and Manny Farber. But this also brought a journalistic edge to his prose, including a dramatic flair for journalistic ‘hooks’ and attention-grabbers, that is part of what I was responding to. Although I realize now that David justifies his opening sentence with what follows, and far less egregiously than I implied he might have, I was responding to the drum roll of that opening sentence as a provocation, which it certainly was and is.”
~ Jonathan Rosenbaum Replies